Licensing for Selling Patent Rights, & C.—Laws of Virginia

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MESSRS. EDITORS:—I believe the following will be of interest to all inventors persons interested in the sale of patents. I have copied it from an act passed by the Legislature of Virginia during the past winterin January, February or March, I860: CHAPTER II. Section 1. Nor shall any person, without license, Bell or offer to sell or barter patent rightB, &c. Sec. 4. Nor shall a license be required to sell articles manufactured by the seller in this State, or provisions, fruit trees, shrubberies and agricultural commodities, the growth and production of this State. Sec. 8. Any person who shall offer to sell or barter any patent rights, patent, specific, quack medicines, coaches, carriages, buggies or other vehicles without a license therefor, when such license is required by law, shall pay a fine not less than $20 and nut more than $600. Sec. 19. All license to tell patent lights, patent, specific or quack medicines, to persons obtaining subscriptions to newspapers, books, or to sell books or newspapers, or to sell the same by sample, licenses granted to persons to sell coaches, &c, manufactured without this State, shall expire at the end of the year from the date of granting the same, and shall not be granted for a shorter period than one year, or to be subject to any abatement or apportionment of tax if Ihe privilege be exercised for less than a year, and shall not be construed to extend beyond Ihe limits of the county or corporation for which it was granted. A license granted under this section shall be a personal privilege, and shall not be assigned or transferred so as to authorize any person to sell or act under such a license, except the person to whom it was granted. CHAPTER III. Sec. 24. On every license to sell or barter patent tights, $25 ; patent, specific or quack medicines, if by wholesale, $50 ; if by retail, only $25. There are about 140 counties in Virginia. The tax, then, upon a patent right in the State of Virginia amounts to $3,500 ! which is virtually a prohibition. Is this constitutional A VIRGINIA INVENTOR. McGaheysville, Va., Nov. 25, 1860.

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